Weight loss pills in the UAE: what is licensed, and what is not
Dr. Hecham Harb
Consultant Endocrinologist & Medical Director
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Two oral GLP-1 medications are licensed for weight management in the UAE. The Emirates Drug Establishment approved Foundayo (orforglipron) in April 2026, making the UAE the second country in the world to register it. The Wegovy pill is also approved and available here. Qsymia is available through Endocare. Fat burners and thermogenic capsules sold on marketplaces are food supplements, which are regulated differently from medications and do not go through the same testing for effectiveness.
- The Emirates Drug Establishment approved Foundayo (orforglipron) for chronic weight management on 3 April 2026, and it became available to eligible patients in May 2026.
- The Wegovy pill, oral semaglutide at 25 mg, is approved by the Emirates Drug Establishment and available in the UAE.
- Qsymia, a combination of phentermine and topiramate, is available through Endocare, and it is approved for adults and for children aged 12 and over.
- Rybelsus is licensed for type 2 diabetes and is not a weight loss medication.
- Fat burners and thermogenic capsules sold online are food supplements, which are regulated differently from medications and do not go through the same testing for effectiveness.
- Every licensed weight loss pill in the UAE is prescription-only and is dispensed through a licensed pharmacy.
- The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases sets the threshold at a body mass index of 30, or 27 with a weight-related condition.
01 Introduction
Oral weight loss treatment in the UAE now covers two licensed GLP-1 tablets, one older combination medication, and a large marketplace of capsules that are not medications. Regulatory status separates them, and it is the first thing to establish about any tablet.
02 Which weight loss pills are licensed in the UAE?
Three prescription tablets are available for weight management through Endocare. Each is prescription-only and each is dispensed by a licensed pharmacy.
Foundayo (orforglipron)
The Emirates Drug Establishment approved Foundayo, an oral GLP-1 receptor agonist for chronic weight management, on 3 April 2026. Its announcement records that the UAE was the second country in the world to register the medication, and that it became available to eligible patients from May 2026. It is taken once daily without restrictions on food or water intake.
The FDA-approved prescribing information for Foundayo sets the dose range from 0.8 mg once daily up to a maximum of 17.2 mg. The dose increases through 2.5 mg, 5.5 mg, 9 mg and 14.5 mg at intervals of thirty days. In ATTAIN-1, a Phase 3 clinical trial in adults with obesity or overweight, participants taking the highest dose lost around 12% of their body weight on average. Our Foundayo page sets out full dosing, side effects and eligibility.
The Wegovy pill (oral semaglutide 25 mg)
The Wegovy pill is oral semaglutide at 25 mg, approved by the Emirates Drug Establishment and available in the UAE. In OASIS 4, a Phase 3 clinical trial in adults with obesity or overweight, patients lost around 17% of their body weight on average over 64 weeks. Around one in three lost 20% or more.
It is taken differently from Foundayo. The dose increases through 1.5 mg, 4 mg, 9 mg and 25 mg with a minimum of thirty days at each step. It is taken once daily in the morning on an empty stomach, swallowed whole with up to half a cup of water. You then wait thirty minutes before food, other drinks or other medications. More detail is on our Wegovy pill page. Our comparison of Foundayo and the Wegovy pill sets the two tablets side by side.
Qsymia
Qsymia is available through Endocare. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases describes it as a combination of two medicines: phentermine, which lessens appetite, and topiramate, which is used to treat seizures or migraine. It notes that the combination may make you feel full sooner. It is approved for adults and for children aged 12 and over.
It predates the GLP-1 tablets and works by a different mechanism. Your endocrinologist will consider it where a GLP-1 medication is unsuitable or has not been tolerated.
Rybelsus and why it is not a weight loss medication
Rybelsus is oral semaglutide at 7 mg and 14 mg, and it is licensed for type 2 diabetes. It is not licensed for weight management, and our endocrinologists do not prescribe it for weight loss.
The confusion is understandable, because Rybelsus and the Wegovy pill contain the same active ingredient. The difference is the dose and the approved indication.
03 What about fat burners and supplements sold online?
Fat burners, thermogenic capsules, slimming teas and appetite-suppressant supplements are food supplements. Supplements are regulated differently from medications. They do not go through the same testing for effectiveness, and their ingredients are not checked as strictly.
Separately, the US Food and Drug Administration warns about unapproved GLP-1 products sold for weight loss, noting that unapproved versions do not undergo review for safety, effectiveness and quality. It reports harms including dosing errors requiring hospitalisation, improperly stored medicine and counterfeit products containing the wrong ingredient or no active ingredient. It advises obtaining a prescription from a licensed doctor and filling it at a licensed pharmacy. Our article on buying Mounjaro online in the UAE covers the risks of unverified sellers.
The FDA’s safety information on semaglutide medicines adds that there are no approved generic versions of semaglutide, and that compounded versions are not reviewed for safety, effectiveness or quality. Anything advertised as generic Ozempic or generic Wegovy is not an approved medication.
04 How a prescription weight loss pill works
Foundayo and the Wegovy pill are GLP-1 receptor agonists. They mimic a natural gut hormone that signals fullness to the brain and slows stomach emptying, which can help reduce appetite and food intake. This is the same mechanism the weekly injections use, delivered in a tablet.
Qsymia works differently, through appetite suppression and increased satiety, as the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases describes above.
No tablet works on its own. Our endocrinologists prescribe medication alongside nutrition, physical activity, sleep and coaching support, because that combination helps maintain your results once you stop taking the medication.
05 Who is a weight loss pill suitable for?
The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases sets the threshold at a body mass index of 30 or greater. It also includes a body mass index of 27 or greater with a weight-related health problem such as high blood pressure or type 2 diabetes. Our endocrinologists work with the same thresholds.
The UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence advises using lower thresholds, usually reduced by 2.5 kg/m2, for people from South Asian, Chinese, other Asian, Middle Eastern, Black African or African-Caribbean family backgrounds. It does so because metabolic risk appears at a lower body mass index in those groups. That applies to a large share of patients in the UAE.
Your endocrinologist will review your medical history, your current medications, your blood tests and your body composition results. Your endocrinologist will then decide whether a tablet is the right treatment for you or whether another weight loss option may be more appropriate.
Patients should not decide by themselves to start a GLP-1 medication. A doctor’s review is critical to ensure the treatment is safe and appropriate for the individual.
06 How our endocrinologists choose between a pill and an injection
Your endocrinologist decides suitability for each patient individually, and neither route is better in general. Your endocrinologist will consider your medical history, what you have tolerated before, how the dosing fits your day, and what your assessment shows. If you are already on an injection, our article on switching from a weight loss injection to a pill covers the decision.
A tablet may suit patients who would prefer not to inject, who travel frequently and would prefer to avoid cold storage, or who have found injections difficult to sustain. Our step-by-step injection guide shows what injecting involves. The weight loss injections Mounjaro, Wegovy and Ozempic have, in their own trials, generally produced higher average weight loss than the tablets. Your endocrinologist will take that into account where the highest average weight loss is the main clinical goal. Our Foundayo vs Mounjaro comparison covers the tablet against the injection in detail.
The two routes are compared in full, with the trial figures side by side, in our article on whether to choose a pill or injection.
07 What weight loss pills cost in the UAE
Cost has two parts: the medication and the clinical care around it. Medication prices differ between the three tablets and with the dose you are prescribed, and are confirmed at your consultation.
Endocare adds no markup to the official pharmacy price. Our pricing page sets out what the programme includes, and the individual medication pages carry the cost detail for each treatment. Our Foundayo price page sets out the cost by dose.
08 Side effects to expect from an oral GLP-1
Most side effects are digestive and most settle with time. Nausea, constipation, diarrhoea, vomiting, indigestion and abdominal discomfort are the ones reported most often.
These are particularly pronounced in the first few days at a new dose and usually settle within the first two weeks at that step. Not every patient experiences them. If you experience nausea or constipation, your endocrinologist can adjust the pace of dose increases and, where needed, prescribe medication to help manage these side effects.
Seek medical advice immediately if you have severe abdominal pain that does not settle, or if vomiting prevents you from keeping fluids down.
09 What treatment with a weight loss pill looks like at Endocare
Your first appointment is a full medical assessment, not simply a prescription visit. We recommend attending in person, as it includes a physical examination and body composition analysis.
Your endocrinologist will take a full medical history, review your blood tests and examine you before discussing treatment options. Your endocrinologist will review blood tests from the last three months before prescribing. If your results are out of date, the clinic can arrange the required tests.
At Endocare, body composition analysis is included free of charge at every consultation. It measures body fat percentage, visceral fat, skeletal muscle mass and body water, helping your endocrinologist track whether weight loss is coming from fat or lean tissue, something the scale alone cannot show.
Your dose is reviewed with your endocrinologist at each monthly follow-up, and monthly follow-up appointments can be held in person at the clinic or online. Medication is delivered free of charge, usually the same day, anywhere in the UAE.
10 FAQ
Which weight loss pills are licensed in the UAE?
Foundayo (orforglipron) and the Wegovy pill, both oral GLP-1 medications approved by the Emirates Drug Establishment, and Qsymia, a combination of phentermine and topiramate. All three are prescription-only. Rybelsus is licensed for type 2 diabetes and not for weight loss.
Do you need a prescription for weight loss pills in the UAE?
Yes. Every licensed weight loss medication in the UAE is prescription-only and is dispensed through a licensed pharmacy against a prescription from a licensed doctor. Our article on whether you can buy Mounjaro, Ozempic or Wegovy over the counter in the UAE explains the rules.
Are fat burners and slimming supplements safe?
Supplements are regulated differently from medications. They do not go through the same testing for effectiveness, and their ingredients are not checked as strictly. We recommend discussing anything you are taking with your doctor, including supplements.
Is the Wegovy pill as effective as the injection?
In OASIS 4, a Phase 3 clinical trial in adults with obesity or overweight, patients taking the Wegovy pill lost around 17% of their body weight on average over 64 weeks. That is broadly similar to the result reported for the 2.4 mg Wegovy injection in its own trial. The figures come from separate trials, not from a head-to-head study.
Can I take Rybelsus for weight loss?
Rybelsus is licensed for type 2 diabetes and our endocrinologists do not prescribe it for weight loss. It contains the same active ingredient as the Wegovy pill at a lower dose and with a different approved indication.
Which is better, a pill or an injection?
Neither is better in general, and your endocrinologist decides suitability for each patient individually. Your endocrinologist will work through your medical history, what you have tolerated before and what your assessment shows before recommending a route.
If you are considering a tablet, the next step is an assessment. Your endocrinologist will review your blood tests and your body composition analysis and set out which treatments are appropriate for you.
You can book a consultation at our clinics in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. If you are working to a specific target, our article on how much weight you can lose in a month sets out a realistic rate of weight loss.
Book Your Consultation
- Specialist consultation
- Personalized Coaching
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